Hot Topics:

Man pleads to manslaughter in crash death of mom in Lebanon County

John Rodgers' mother was killed in a two-vehicle crash on I-78 in Union Township last year

By STEVE SNYDERLebanon Daily News

Updated:
05/08/2013 12:19:32 PM EDT

A Cumberland County man whose mother died in a two-vehicle crash in Union Township last year entered an open no-contest plea to involuntary manslaughter Wednesday.

John Rodgers, 49, New Cumberland, had also been charged with homicide by vehicle, but the district attorney's office has agreed to drop that charge.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, the district attorney's office will remain silent while Rodgers' attorney, Steven Breit, argues for probation at sentencing. The sentencing judge will decide if Rodgers receives prison time or probation. Rodgers' plea deal calls for 20 hours of community service.

Judge Samuel Kline scheduled Rodgers' sentencing for June 26.

According to court records, Rodgers and his mother, Margaret, 80, were traveling north on I-81 to visit Margaret's hometown of Tamaqua in Schuylkill County on Feb. 4, 2012. She was in the front passenger seat.

Instead of remaining on I-81, Rodgers' Chevrolet Impala entered eastbound I-78, where the highways come together in Union Township. Rodgers applied the car's brakes suddenly at mile marker 0.5 and began to turn left in front of a tractor-trailer driven by Leeroy Burton, 50, Avondale, Ga., state police at Lickdale said.

The tractor-trailer was unable to stop and struck the car, causing it to spin several times before coming to rest in trees and bushes on the north side of the roadway at 12:50 p.m., police said.

Advertisement

Margaret, whom state police said was not wearing a seat belt, was declared dead at the scene.

Rodgers, who had been wearing a seat belt, was flown by helicopter to the Hershey Medical Center, where he was admitted in critical condition. Burton, who was wearing a seat belt, was not injured.